October  2,  1902.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
5ENECIO  CL1VORUM. 
A  new  Central  China  and  Japanese  species,  introduced  by 
Messrs.  James  Veitcli  and  Sons,  Limited,  Royal  Exotic  Nurseries, 
Chelsea,  S.W.,  through  their  collector,  Mr.  E.  H.  Wilson.  It  is 
a  hardy  perennial,  growing  strongly  to  a  height  of  3ft  to  4|ft,  on 
moist,  grassy  spots  on  the  mountains  of  its  native  habitats,  and 
flowers  about  the  end  of  July.  The  flowers  are  borne  in  the 
manner  shown  by  the  drawing  on  this  page.  They  are  orange- 
yellow  in  colour,  ten  or  twelve  in  a  head,  and  4in  across.  The 
large  leaves  resemble  those  of  the.  Butter-bur  of  our  own  native 
streams.  The  plant  is  likely  to  become  a  favourite  in  gardens, 
and  has  already  received  an  Award  of  Merit  when  specimens  were 
exhibited  before  the  Floral  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  on  August  18,  in  the  James  Street  Drill  Hall.  Dr. 
Augustine  Henry  has  described  this  species  and  its  allies  in  the 
“  Gardeners’  Chronicle,”  September  20,  1902. 
Economy. 
( Continued  from  page  239.) 
Many  men,  many  minds;  a  score  of  masters,  twenty  different 
methods  of  managing  men.  Let  it  be  understood  we  are  still 
dealing  with  the  past,  and  from  the  loom  of  memory  the  shuttle 
of  thought  can  easily  pick  up  among  the  dropped  threads  of  life 
that  embodiment  of  fuss,  fume,  fret,  and  flurry,  the  clever  (?), 
but  cranky  old  gardener.  Such  a  one  is  clearly  presented  to 
mental  vision.  More  than  once  a  friendly  labourer’s  advice  was, 
“  Keep  out  of  his  way,  my  boy,  lie’s  ravaging  round  like  a  ramping 
lion  ;  hear  him,  now,  bellering  like'  a  bull.”  Once,  and  once  only, 
did  this  man  of  wrath  unbend  to  his  pupil  with,  “  Go  in  among 
those  Strawberries,  boy,  and  get  a  good  feed,”  with  the  qualifica¬ 
tion  to  “hurry  up  and  not  be  all  day  about  it.”  However,  the 
sweet  enjoyment  was  all  too  abruptly  foreshortened  with,  “  Get 
out,  you  little  hog.”  A  clever  gardener?  Yes;  at  least  it  was  so 
assumed  by  those  who  measured  ability  by  the  vituperation  of 
tongue  deemed  necessary  to  manage  the  garden,  but  more  than 
a  suspicion  then  crossed  the  youthful  mind  that  there  was  some¬ 
thing  wrong,  and  now  it  is  known  as  a  fact  that  all  was  muddle 
and  mismanagement.  Constant  friction  between  man  and  men, 
and  all  friction  of  whatsoever  kind  means  waste.  True,  these 
historical  sketches  of  character  may  not  find  exact  parallels  to¬ 
day,  but  history  repeats  itself  under  changed  forms,  and  there 
is  still  as  much  difference  in  men’s  ruling  powers  as  there  is 
between  some  noisy  old  steam  thrasher  and  a  powerful  engine 
which  awes  one  by  its  silent  force. 
Perhaps  the  man  who  really  makes  the  most  of  his  men  is 
somewhat  of  a  rarity.  Perhaps  not.  It  is  not  easy  to  analyse 
his  character,  but  its  moral  influence  is  plainly  seen  in  the  smooth 
running  of  the  complex  machinery  of  garden  management.  Each 
worker  seems  specially  selected  for  the  work  he  is  best  adapted 
to,  and  is  perfect  in  it  by  long  practice.  He  has,  all  uncon¬ 
sciously,  perhaps,  been  made  to  feel  that  he  fills  an  important 
part,  and  takes  a  consequent  pride  and  pleasure  from  that  innafe 
sense  of  responsibility.  Implicit  trust  and  confidence  impercep¬ 
tibly  grow  under  such  a  healthy  regime  into  loyalty  of  service 
and  devotion  to  the  master’s  interests.  Whip  nor  spur  are 
needed  to  urge  on  in  filling  the  want  that  occasional  high  pressure 
brings;  men  cheerfully  rise  responsive  to  the  call  ;  they  will,  as 
some  have  been  heard  to  say,  “  do  anything  for  such  a  master ;” 
and  for  such  men,  honest,  loyal,  and  true,  a  master  will  do  all 
that  lays  in  his  power,  and  fear  not  any  auditing  of  his  labour 
bill,  for  a  good  balance  to  credit  bears  witness  to  his  wise  rule 
and  economical  management. 
'The  Seedsman’s  Bill. 
Prima  facie  seed  order  sheets  now  supplied  with  catalogues  are 
a  boon  and  blessing  to  gardeners.  No  writing  out  of  lists  or 
poring  over  catalogues  that  “  words  of  long  length  and  thund’rous 
sound  ”  should  not  disgrace  our  spelling.  No  troubling  of 
troubled  men,  no  bothering  of  bothered  ones;  jot  down  ones  and 
twos,  and  so  on,  of  quarts,  ounces,  packets,  and  so  forth;  sign 
your  name,  no  more,  the  seedsman  does  the  rest.  Handy,  how¬ 
ever,  as  the  seed  list  is,  and  innocent  as  it  looks,  it  is  neither 
guiltless  of  aiding  and  abetting  big  bills,  nor  wholly  guilty  of 
doing  so.  This  is  not  fault-finding  with  our  seed  merchants,  or 
need  there  be  any  suspicion  of  design  to  wound  their  amour 
propre.  Per  contra,  it  is  possible  to  show  that  a  little  more 
attention  paid  to  this  subject  would  be  better  for  all  concerned. 
Ninety  per  cent,  of  complaints  about  seed  germination  lay  in  the 
fact  that  proper  attention  is  not  paid  at  that  most  critical  period 
of  a  plant’s  existence — its  birth  from  the  embryo — for  the  simple 
reason  that  men  handicap  themselves  by  attempting  too  much, and, 
consequently,  accomplish  too  little.  For  instance,  one  of  the  craft 
yearly  sowed  nearly  every  delicate  annual  that  is  listed  and  ten 
times  the  quantity  he  could  possibly  plant,  supposing  they  were 
3  T9 
all  successfully  raised  and  properly  cared  for.  Why  was  it  ?  “  Oh! 
M’  leddy  juist  marks  doon  a’  the  things  she  likes,  then  I  mark 
doon  a’  the  things  I  want,  and  de’il  tak  it - ”  Rising  wrath 
staunched  further  speech,  but  the  forefinger  indexing  some 
scores  of  pots,  pans,  and  boxes;  some  with  a  label  only  (seeds 
bad,  of  course),  others  as  crowded  a  crop  as  Mustard  and  Cress 
waiting  for  salvation  in  the  shape  of  “pricking  off,”  all  sorts  of 
congested  life,  spoke  volumes  to  which  the  bill  would  probably 
add  finis,  for  “  M’  leddy’s  vera  pernicketty,  and  she’s  aye  chang¬ 
ing.”  An  exceptional  case!  Granted;  yet  the  same  wretched 
system  permeates  many  gardens  in  more  or  less  degree. 
Impatience  defeats  its  object.  Who  has  not  seen  complete 
failures  of  the  great  spring-sowing  of  Rroccolis,  and  “sic  like 
Senecio  clivorum. 
One-third  natural  size. 
greenies  ”  through  sowing  too  early!  Two  seasons  ago  another 
neighbour  rushed  round  with  his  tale  of  woe.  “  Never  a  seed  up, 
all  failed;  no  Broccoli,  no  Cabbage,  no  Cauliflower,  no  nothing.” 
He  felt  very  sore;  condemned  the  seedsman.  But  lie  felt  sorer 
still  when  he  saw  a  fine  “  hit  ”  sown  a  month  later  with  seeds 
supplied  by  the  same  firm.  The  best  manager  in  other  directions 
would  need  to  be  a  miracle  monger  as  well  in  order  to  show  any 
balance  to  his  credit.  When  guided  by  inclination,  instead  of 
governed  by  reason,  men  thus  play  fast  and  loose  with  the  ethics 
of  economy.  So  “bad  seasons,”  “bad  seeds,”  “employer’s  bad 
taste,”  anything,  in  fact,  except  gardeners’  hobbies  and  tho 
wildest  of  wild  estimates  of  what  is  possible  and  what  is  im¬ 
possible  are  pegs  on  which  to  hang  every  excuse  as  well  as  hang 
themselves.  So,  “Our  remedies  oft  in  ourselves  do  lie  which 
we  ascribe  to  heaven.” — Quiz. 
